


Love Is....

by 11chance11



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Family, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-03-16
Packaged: 2018-05-27 00:46:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6262822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/11chance11/pseuds/11chance11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, I'm working on another story that's taking a little bit of time.  I have part one mostly finished, but I took a bit of a break to write this piece.  It's four little stories taken at various times with Steve, Danny, Grace and Charlie.  A lot warm feelings and fluff.  I didn't beta, but did proof it.   Any mistakes are mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Is....

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and for giving me so many great stories to read from everyone! Thank you for your comments and kudos for my stories. I appreciate each and every one of them!

Kiss Me Quick

The three people were standing next to the island in the McGarrett kitchen on an especially sunny day in spring when it happened. Well, days were always sunny in Hawaii if you really thought about it, but it seemed especially so today.

Danny hadn't really been expecting it. Steve just leaned over and did it. Impulsive and unapologetic, that was Steve McGarrett and Danny had that found that out from the first day he'd ever met the man.

It wasn't like it was the first time or that they never did it, but it never failed to rob Danny of breath or make his heart squeeze deep in his chest. 

The kiss was warm and loving, just enough of the fire that was always between them, but enough restraint in deference to the little boy who Steve held at his hip, little arms and legs wrapped around his lean but muscled body like an octopus.

Danny's own nicely built torso instinctively leaned into the other man almost a foot and a half taller than himself as one hand reached out and squeezed the ankle of tiny person clinging to his partner.

A full on giggle sprung forth from the child, Danny's exact mirror image, as Steve smirked at him, pulling back from their liplock.

"Steve kiss Danno!" he squealed, wiggling in his hold.

"Yes, he did!" Steve didn't even try to hide his delight as he watched him with undisguised joy.

"Steve luvs Danno!" he continued to shriek. His face was full of his grin and his cheeks took on a deep pink tone as he gestured with his hands in a way that reminded Steve of his father so much that it knocked his heart.

"Steve loves Danno." Steve repeated him as he gave Danny a look with his hazel eyes that said a million more things wordlessly.

"Danno kiss Steve!" little Charlie directed him as he began to finger one of the big tatoos on Steve's arm curiously. 

His ink always fascinated the child and so much so that Danny had once half jokingly remarked that he was afraid that Charlie would want to go right out and get a couple of his own. Steve had said he knew of a place that was really good without missing a beat more to see Danny's reaction and earning a glare from the New Jersey born detective as he had covered Charlie's ears.

Steve had winked and had only smirked back at him.

"You heard the man." Steve pointed out to his partner gleefully.

The blond's mouth turned up at the corner back at him but it only made Steve more happy.

"Come on, right here." McGarrett said pointing to his handsome face. "Let's go. I'm not a patient man, Danno." 

"You're just loving this right now. You and my son have joined forces!" Danny accused, but there was nothing but a light tone in his voice. Both he and Steve had worried about how Charlie would react to finding out that Danny was his father. They couldn't even begin to wonder how he'd go for Steve in the whole drama that had unfolded when Danny's ex-wife had dropped the boy's paternity in his lap when Charlie had gotten sick and needed bone marrow from Danny.

Looking at his two guys right now, Danny found it hard to believe that a very short time ago, Charlie didn't even know Steve had existed other than the odd bits of news that Danny dropped and his sister Grace had told him. But, Charlie was only four now. There was no telling how much he had absorbed.

"Kiss Steve, Danno!" Charlie called out to him again with a huge smile as he clapped his little hands together. "Steve will be sad if you don't." 

"I'll be sad." Steve confirmed, nodding his dark head.

"Well, okay, just for you, buddy!" Danny said with a taunting look at Steve.

The man who served in the US Navy SEALS pretended to be affronted by the words, but the twinkle in his eyes said the exact opposite.

"Come here, you goof!" Danny grabbed at his shirt and tugged him towards him, his neck going up as Steve's came down and the two of them melded their mouths together. Little bolts of shock went through their systems as they continued to love on each other, little Charlie between them. 

Danny's little's son's laughter giggles peeled throughout the room as the force of their embrace knocked them both against the edge of the island. Still, they didn't let each other go.

The detective smiled against his partner's mouth. To say there was attraction between them had always been an understatement. They had just flat out wanted each other.

"Danno! Danno luvs Steve!" Charlie called out happily as he wiggled between them, Steve's hold on him getting more firm.

"Yes! Yes! Danno loves Steve!" Danny called out trying to catch his breath! 

"Say it again!" Steve demanded as his free arm went around Danny' s waist!

"Danno loves Steve!" Danny confirmed as he wrapped his arms around Steve and Charlie closing his eyes in bliss!

 

An afternoon and shave ice

 

"And what wonderful flavors of my shave ice can I get you two this afternoon?" Kamekona's grin was large and infectious.

Steve swung his gaze over to his companion and asked her, "Gracie, what would you like to have, sweetheart?"

The young girl scrunched up her pretty face and considered her options for a few moments. In moments like this, she took on so much of Danny's characteristics, that it startled Steve.

"Um, I think I want cherry." she said happily and Steve added his own selection of pineapple to it.

"Don't tell Danny. He'll say I'm corrupting his daughter." Steve said quickly and Grace and Kamekona both laughed. Danny's dislike of anything that even came close to pineapple was legendary around the island and everyone liked to tease him about it.

"It will be our little secret." Kamekona promised and went to get the shave ices for them. Steve watched him for a moment before turning back to Grace.

"Did you have a good day at school, honey? " he asked her. Danny had had to interview a witness for 5-0's current case on the other side of the island with Kono and Steve had volunteered to pick Grace up from school and take her back to his house to wait for Danny's return after he and the team's other member, Chin had paid a visit Queen's Hospital to interview the victim in a large scale high profile robbery that had gone down the last evening.

Grace nodded and started fill Steve in on the happenings of her class and various classmates. It was a safe topic as far as Steve was concerned since he certainly couldn't talk to Grace about what he and the team had done all day. But, usually it was very easy to be around the little girl. The two of them had always gotten along well and Steve had long ago earned Danny's trust with his child. She considered him fun and was often around his house on weekends with her dad.

It wasn't until Kamekona had brought them their shave ices and they'd taken a few bites in silence and gotten comfortable that Grace looked up at her table companion.

"What do you want to talk to me about, Uncle Steve?" she asked, tell tale traces of shave ice juice around her mouth that she wiped away with her napkin.

Caught off guard and wondering how she could have known that he wanted to talk to her about anything specific, Steve dropped his spoon with a thud on the picnic table, his heart thudding away inside his chest as he locked eyes with her.

"Oh, sorry." he said quickly, embarrassed and reached for a napkin.

She watched him, her shrewd eyes following the movements of his hands, a tiny grin forming at one corner of her mouth.

"You don't have to be nervous, Uncle Steve. You can ask me anything." She assured him.

You really are Danny's daughter, he thought wildly, but said out loud, "Oh, I'm not nervous, just...you know, clumsy. These spoons are slippery!"

"I guess." she said politely as she held onto her own quite easily.

"Anyway, how...how do you like your shave ice?" he wondered as casually as he could.

"Fine. It's good." she nodded. "I like this flavor!"

"Good." Steve took another breath as his eyes darted around him and he took in the various sights of the beach around them. 

"Um, Gracie...." he cleared his throat nervously and trying not to breathe too hard. "I really wanted to spend some time with you this afternoon." he gave a careful look that he hoped was casual. 

"Sure. What about?" 

"Um...well," he said feeling the heat creep up his face. "Your dad and I, you know, work together every day. We spend time together outside of work and he brings you over to my house some weekends and we watch games together, go out to dinner with our team and all." 

"I know. My dad likes hanging out with you and everyone." Gracie said. "It's totally cool." 

"That's great!" Steve nodded. He anxiously took a few more bites of his shave ice before looking back across the table. 

As a SEAL, he'd faced some of the most scariest of situations in parts of the world a lot of people never even got to see. And none of them were even close to being as scary as facing this young girl sitting across from him.

"So, listen, Gracie, I wanted to talk to you and maybe ask you something very important." he cleared his throat again and toyed with his spoon.

"Is Danno okay?" she asked suddenly, her eyes showing her concern. "Sometimes, grown ups say they want to talk if they have bad news." 

"Oh, he's fine." Steve was quick to reassure her and this made her relax again. "No bad news, I promise." 

"So, what did you want to talk to me about, Uncle Steve? Are you alright?" she asked him, curiously. 

"Oh, I'm fine, too." Steve tried his best to grin. Well, he would be if it wasn't for this ,he said to himself. He usually had his cool together way more than this, but this was very important to him and there was no way this could work without Gracie's okay. Danny would never go for it without that.

"See, I was thinking and, and Danno was thinking and we've both been thinking a lot of things." He cleared his throat again. "And what I've been thinking is that I would like to take Danno....you know, out sometime. Like to dinner, maybe an evening at my house...or his house, I mean your house that you...share with him. And, and...maybe you know, you know stuff like that. You've seen stuff like that, right?" he asked her hopefully studying her face and hoping to find some positive reaction.

She swallowed. "You mean....like a date?" she asked him, finally.

He briefly closed his eyes and then opened them again and nodded. "Yes, yes...like a date." he said, shifting in his seat and tapping the spoon nervously on the table. His whole face had bloomed pink and felt like it was on fire!

"Are you asking me if I think it's okay if you ask my dad out on a date?" Grace asked him carefully and studied his face. 

Steve tried not to flinch. He took a deep breath and exhaled and answered, "Yes, Grace. I'm asking you if it's okay for me to ask your dad out on a date. I mean more than one....you know, if things work out."

"Don't you want them to work out?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Of course I do!" he promised her. 

God, how did she keep her voice so calm and collected?! He felt like he was going to fall over any minute! Kamekona was going to have to call 911 if he kept going like this and Danny could find him in the emergency room!

No, wait. If that happened, maybe Grace wouldn't think he was good enough to date Danny! Oh, bad turn of events! Horribly wrong! Please don't let me fall over!

He ran a hand through his hair forgetting that he had some shave ice juice spilled on it and gave Grace what he hoped was a good smile. 

"So, what do you think?" he asked her. "I mean, you don't have to tell me right away. You can think about it and get back to me." He assured her beginning to shred the paper napkin in his hands now.

Grace shook her head with a grin. "I don't have to think about it. It's cool with me if you want to go out with Danno. I think you're a good guy, Uncle Steve. And Danno really likes you. He talks about you all the time, you know that!" 

"You do?" Steve didn't know what he was expecting her to say, but he now felt like he could maybe breathe again, but her eyes suddenly grew closer together as he wadded up the napkin and started on another one. 

"Mmhhh, mmhhh." Grace nodded. "You're cool, you know. But, I don't want Danno to get hurt. I hope you're serious, Uncle Steve. I don't give my blessings to just anyone who wants to date him."

"How many people want to date him?" Steve couldn't stop himself from asking. He tried not be to curious, too jealous, but the words came out of him before he could stop himself. It never hurt to know who his competition was after all. It was just practical and he just wanted to be prepared.

Grace rolled her eyes.

" I don't want you to break his heart. Things will not be cool between us if you do that." she let him know. 

"Gracie, I promise you, honey. I would never hurt Danno. He's very important to me. That's why I want to start seeing him. I take it very seriously that you have given me your permission to ask him out."

Steve let a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding until now. He had gotten close to Danny since the day they'd met, their connection getting stronger every day along with Steve's attraction to him. 

He thought that maybe this conversation should have happened long before this moment. He had known he liked Danny like that way before now. He had just been starting to figure out a few things, meaning to do something about it right around the time he'd taken off for Japan in search of the mysterious Shelburne. He'd been seeing Catherine at that time off and on, though he knew he was kidding himself about that and had decided to tell her that he didn't think they should see each other like that anymore given how he was feeling about Detective Williams. He had felt she would understand. She had more than once had this look on her face whenever she had seen Steve and Danny together. 

Then, his mother had come 'back from the dead' after twenty years of letting everyone in her family think a car explosion had taken her life in true bad soap opera plot form and had expected everyone to welcome her back like she'd never dumped her family to go off and play spy. 

Still, Steve had found he couldn't just walk way from his mother and had even made plans to formally introduce her to Danny. But, Doris hadn't liked Danny from the start and sharp reaction to him from the first moments left Danny uncomfortable and unable to connect with her. Steve had known it and it had made him sad to see Danny pull back from even a friendship with him in a lot of ways. Then, Steve had been so caught up in his mother's crazy spy games, that he hadn't had a chance to do anything about his growing feelings for his partner. 

He'd met Grace soon after that first day with Danny and from the start, the Task Force leader had known that she was part of any relationship he had with Danny; friendship, work, or more than friends. Grace was Danny's reason for moving to Hawaii to begin with, so there was no two ways around it. 

And Steve was crazy about her. Never having had children of his own, he didn't really have any inclination to connect with them. They were almost a mystery to him. But, the thing was that Grace had managed to get to him, just like her dad. And he had found that he liked it, new as it all was to him. He never imagined that he'd be so nervous about asking Danny's little daughter for her blessings to start dating her father.

She now raised her spoon in his direction. "Then, you have my blessings to ask him." she said gleefully and Steve picked up his own spoon again and clinked it with hers.

Maybe this was going to work out after all.

 

Nap time

 

Danny walked into the living room, having put away the remnants of dinner and cleaned up the kitchen and headed to give McGarrett a break from Grace and Charlie. He had heard the low sounds of the TV along with the voices of the three of them, but it had gotten quiet a few minutes ago. Now, he saw why as took in the sight of Steve leaning back on the sofa, his long legs propped up on the coffee table, Grace sleeping against one of his sides and Charlie having nodded off against the other as he held them both to him.

This was one of those times that stole Danny's heart and made him wonder just how he'd ever gotten along without McGarrett in the first place. 

It reminded him of another time not too long ago that looked a lot like this one .

Charlie had gotten sick during one of Danny's weekends with his kids. Steve filled in for him at Grace's Aloha Girls scout meeting so Danny could take Charlie to the doctor instead of creating drama with his ex-wife over it especially since she and her current husband had been out of town.

Steve had willingly (though very nervously) had let Grace and her friends dress him up in the paper mache hats and jewelry they had made so Danny didn't have to feel guilty over having to miss Grace's troop meeting to see about his son and not add to his worry over Charlie not being well.

The sight that had greeted him when he'd returned to the beach house was one he wasn't going to forget anytime soon.

"Stop staring at me." Steve had said when Danny had returned carrying Charlie with one arm and a prescription bag from the pharmacy in his other hand.

"Can't help it. You look hot there, babe." His eyes held a humorous twinkle and he'd actually wolf whistled.

"I know. You want some of this, don't you?" Steve gestured to himself with a sweep of his hand, his handsome face smirking back at him, the remnants of the girls' makeover of him still all over him. 

Danny shook his head and deadpanned, "I just fell in love with you, McGarrett."

Then late that night, Steve had paced the bedroom floor with a miserable Charlie in his strong arms, soothing him and rocking him so that Danny could get some much needed sleep.

It had taken awhile, this bonding between his son and his partner.

Though very friendly, Charlie had been slow to connect with Steve. Not his fault, he was still getting used to Danny being his father. Steve had never pushed and just generally hovered nearby and let his natural boyish charm and overgrown kid personality take over and earn Charlie's trust while he focused on the easy relationship he already had with Grace. 

He was nervous that Danny's kids wouldn't like him in their lives so much, but it had been easy with Grace. Charlie was a different story, but Steve knew it was important to Danny and really, Charlie was a cute kid and Steve liked having him around. Danny was willing to share his family and join them with Steve and that was all that was important. He'd known all along that Danny meant Danny, Grace, and Charlie and all of Danny's other relatives eventually ("My bonus for getting you, Danny.")

Calling him Danny's mini me and grinning that wicked easy grin, he assured Danny that Charlie could come to him when HE was ready. Like Grace before him and taking his cues from her, he inched his way over little by little.

He would watch the two of them as Grace easily interacted with Steve, their laughter and fondness for each other evident always. 

Then he would look at Danny lacing his fingers with McGarrett's or watch Steve slide a gentle finger down Danny's cheek with affection in an unguarded moment. 

After all, if Grace and Danno could connect so well with Danno's tall, dark haired, funny friend, so could Charlie, he probably thought. Until one day, Danny had walked onto the lanai at Steve's house and found Charlie sleeping peacefully in Steve's lap with tiny arms cuddled around him. 

Cradling the boy as if he was holding the most precious being to him, Steve silently winked at his partner and motioned with his finger for quiet and Danny easily slipped into the empty chair next to them, not saying a word. 

Charlie had never willingly left Steve's arms after that unless it was to go with Danny.

And it was in that moment, seeing that grin on Steve's face and the way his hazel eyes crinkled up that Danny realized how much it had meant to Steve to have Grace and Charlie like him, to have moments like these where they were so trusting that they let their guard down completely for him. 

Something had uncurled in Danny's chest then...

"I got this, babe." he had assured him now, knowing Danny wouldn't be able to settle down until he knew Charlie was okay.

"You won't get to sleep before you early morning workout. You know, your daily swim across the Pacific." he teased with a drowsy voice. 

"I stayed up longer when I was on active duty with the SEALS, Danno. You know that." he scoffed easily. "Go to sleep."

"Got to thank you, buddy." Danny said sleepily.

"Take me out to dinner." Steve had suggested with a goofy grin as he pressed Charlie gently to his chest to settle him.

"When and where." the blond detective had replied without skipping a beat. 

Steve had smiled as he watched Danny settle back into the covers of the bed and drift off to sleep, the lines of fatigue easing away from his face.

"We just fit, Danny." he said very, very quietly as much to himself as to him as he held onto Danny's little boy. "I just can't make myself want anyone else anymore."

 

Making Uncle Steve feel better 

Grace poked her head through the cracked open door to the master bedroom as she held onto the little tray she was clutching in her hand. Behind her, Charlie eagerly poked his head around her form to get a look inside.

"Is he sleeping?" he whispered loudly.

"No, he's not...." Steve mumbled from the bed and somewhere under the covers. He had heard their presence as soon as they had the bedroom door open.

Charlie giggled at the sound of Steve's voice and he nudged Grace through the threshold and into the room.

"Uncle Steve, you're awake." Grace said happily as she moved carefully towards the bed with the tray and Charlie headed to Steve's side clutching a stuffed toy and book in his hand. 

Steve tunneled his way out from under the blankets and struggled to sit upright, the bed covers still snug around him. 

"Hey," he gave a weak smile. "What's going on?" 

"We brought you something to make you feel better, Uncle Steve. I made you a sandwich." Grace set the tray down carefully as Charlie chimed in, "I brought you my stuff, Uncle Steve!", the excitement barely contained in his voice as he waved the stuffed animal and a book he was carrying. 

"I wanted to carry the sandwich, but Grace says I'm not old enough yet." he pouted and the look he gave Steve made his heart catch in his throat.

It was Danny to the last inch.

"You can carry it when you're older, Charlie. You might spill it now." Grace told him.

"I want to be older now!" he insisted and looked like he was trying to figure out how that would help him.

"What have you got there?" Steve wanted to know in an effort to derail any chance of a squabble about to start between the two siblings. 

"Danno said I could make you a sandwich in case you wanted to eat."

"And I got this and my book. Grace can read to you and we can keep you company so you won't be lonely."

"Danno says it's okay to keep you company for a little while if you're awake and say it's okay." Grace continued. 

"So are you?" Charlie asked, eyeing the bed longingly. "Awake and it's okay, Uncle Steve?"

A tired smile formed on Steve's face as he watched the two of them. He held out an arm towards Charlie for the stuffed animal and book. He recognized them. They were among his favorite things as Danny had once pointed out to him. Something twitched in the area of Steve's heart as he carefully accepted them.

Laying the items next to him, he extended his hand towards the sandwich on a plate. 

"Danno's getting the juice for you." the little girl explained to him.

Though he'd tried to deny it, he'd come down with a bug and had been running a temperature. Danny had insisted on bringing him back home. Kono, Chin, and Lou had assured him that they could handle it if anything came up and would call with any emergency.

So, he'd been taken back to his house and promptly deposited in his bed and told to go to sleep and Danny would take care of everything and be right here if he needed anything. Though he wanted to, he'd hardly put up a fight and instead had gone for his sleep pants and tee shirt.

Danny had reminded him that they had Grace and Charlie this weekend and Rachel was dropping them off. He was considering canceling and make a weekend switch with his ex-wife, but Steve wouldn't hear of it. He knew that Danny didn't get enough time with his children as it was and it was a source of sadness that the kids weren't with him more, so there was no way that Steve was going to let him give up one of his weekends.

"I feel better now," Steve winked at them. "Now, that you two are here." he said. After taking a couple bites of his sandwich and replacing it on the plate, he moved over a bit and indicated the foot of the bed for them to sit down. 

He tucked Charlie's toy dog under his arm and Grace picked up his story book and opened it and began to read the story about a baby owl who was sleepy but refusing to go to sleep.

He drifted in and out of attention after settling himself against the pillows, Grace's voice soothing. Charlie's smile had won him over a long time ago, an act that his father had done before him. Charlie now watched his sister with that same look as he absorbed himself in her reading of the story.

It certainly wasn't the first time he'd gotten sick. But, before when he was alone, it had been just him to take care of himself. Like a wounded bear going off to lick his wounds, he hadn't been used to this kind of attention, this kind of connection.

Now that he had it, he didn't think he could go back to the other way. Not after this, after Gracie and Charlie and their open affection for him.

Not after Danny.

He didn't know if there was going to be any more kids in their future. He and Danny had never even mentioned it. Being around Danny's kids regularly now, he knew that it wasn't out of the question for him if Danny wanted to give it another try for another one. There were a few options for them if they wanted to expand on what they had now. The thought thrilled him even as it scared him!

But, if this was it, if there wasn't meant to be any more, he would feel like somehow, he'd gone the right way to bring Danny, Grace, and Charlie to his life.

As Grace had turned a page of the book, he could hear Danny's footsteps coming up the stairs towards their room, obviously bringing in the orange juice.

As Charlie laughed at something Grace had read about Baby Owl not wanting to go to sleep, Steve couldn't help the smile that was spreading across his face. 

Yup, life was pretty good as far as he was concerned.


End file.
